Monthly Archives: October 2014

The Irish brewer, best known for its iconic stout, is introducing a limited edition, ultra-premium amber ale called Guinness The 1759.

The brew’s grain bill includes traditional barley malt as well as peated malt usually used for making Scotch and Irish whiskies.

“The fine peated whisky malt used in the Guinness The 1759 brewing process brings a complex taste to the amber ale that gently complements the hop flavors, resulting in a liquid that is distinguished and innately Guinness.” said Michael Donnelly, master brewer at Guinness’ St. James’s Gate brewery in Dublin.

Donnelly described the new brew as having a rich butterscotch aroma with subtle hop notes and mellow caramel flavors combining with a subtle hop character along with fruity sweetness from a strong ester profile. Guinness recommends drinking the 9 percent ABV beer from a 6 oz. Champagne flute.

The new beer is to be the first in series of limited “Signature Series” brews to be produced at Guinness’ Brewhouse No. 4 at St. James’s Gate. Only 90,000, corked and capped 750ml bottles were produced. The beer, packaged in a black velvet-lined gift box, will retail for about $35.

The beer’s name is derived from the year founder Arthur Guinness signed the 9,000-year lease at St. James’s Gate in Dublin,

Distribution at selected bars and retailers is expected to commence by the end of October. It will also be sold online at reservebar.com

Guinness officials credit the growing U.S. craft beer market as a force behind the new brew. Most of the production will be shipped to the U.S.

“The United States is driving a beer renaissance that hasn’t been seen globally for decades,” Doug Campbell, Guinness brand director, said in a statement. “Today, the expectations of beer connoisseurs and enthusiasts are significantly higher.”

Earlier this year, the company debuted Guinness Blonde American Lager ($8.99 a six-pack), the first offering in the new Guinness Discovery Series.

We’re anxious to sample this brew, but wondering if it’s worth the price. Would you buy this brew?

The winners, announced at the festival in Denver on Oct. 4, emerged from a pool of 5,507 individual commercial beer entries and 89 Pro-Am entries. A total of 268 medals were awarded.

The awards, among the most coveted in the brewing industry, often are compared to winning the Super Bowl or medaling in the Olympics. Winning a medal often translates into higher sales for the winners, if not prestige.

This year, the awards recognized a new category of brewer with the “Very Small Brewing Company and Very Small Brewing Company Brewer Award going to Draught Works, of Missoula, Montana, and its brew team. The brewery won gold with its Scepter Head in the American Strong Ale Category.

Marble Brewery, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and its brewing team received the awards for Small Brewing Company and Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year. It won gold in the Other Strong Beer Category with its Double White and gold in the Imperial Red Category with its Imperial Red.

The Mid-Size Brewing Company and Mid-Size Brewing Company Brewer of the Year awards went to Devil’s Backbone Brewing Co. – Outpost, of Lexington, Virginia, www.dbbrewingcompany.com/theoutpost.aspx and its brewery team. The 15,000-square-foot Outpost is the newest addition to the Devils Backbone brewing group, which also received awards at the GABF in 2013 and 2012. Outpost took gold in the Germany-Style Schwartz Beer Category with its Schwartz Beer and silver in the Bock and American-style dark lager categories, respectively with its Turbo Cougar and Old Virginia Dark.

The award for Large Brewing Company and Large Brewing Company Brewer of the Year went to AC Golden, of Golden, Colorado, and the AC Golden Brewing Team, which took gold and silver in the American-style Amber Lager Category with its Colorado Native Amber and its Colorado Native Golden, respectively. AC Golden is the development brewing operation of MillerCoors.

Bastone Brewery, of Royal Oak, Michigan, and its brewer, Rockne Van Meter, won honors for Small Brewpub and Small Brewpub Brewer of the Year. The brewpub took a silver medal in the Wood and Barrel Aged Beer Category with its Private Stock #472 and silver in the Belgian-style Strong Specialty Ale Category with its Thor’s Hammer.

Brasserie Saint James, of Reno, Nevada, and brewers Josh Watterson and Matt Watterson won for Mid-Size Brewpub of the Year and brewer. The brewpub took a gold for its Daily Wages brew in the French-Belgian style Saison category. Its specialty is Belgian-style beer.

The Large Brewpub and Large Brewpub Brewer of the Year award honors went to Beachwood BBQ & Brewing, Long Beach, California and brewers Julian Shrago and Ian McCall. The brewpub’s Mocha Machine took gold in the Coffee Beer Category and its Un Atout won gold in the French-Belgian style Saison Category.

Beachwood BBQ & Brewing, Long Beach, California and brewers Julian Shrago and Ian McCall. The brewpub’s Mocha Machine took gold in the Coffee Beer Category and its Un Atout won gold in the French-Belgian style Saison Category.

Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Scottish 80 Shilling, brewed by Bear Republic Brewing Co. of Healdsburg, California, won the gold in the ProAm competition, which pairs amateur brewers with professional brewers, who scale up the award-winning homebrew recipes. The winning team included Bear Republic brewmaster Richard Norgrove, and AHA member Michael Kelly. Silver went to Spencer Pale Ale, from Kokopelli Beer Co., of Westminster, Colorado, which paired its brew team AHA Member Daniel Christensen. Bronze was awarded to I Wanna Rauch!, Springfield Brewing Co., of Springfield, Missouri, brewed by brewmasters Ashton Lewis and Bruce Johnson, and AHA member Keith Wallis

Industry professionals—222 from 10 countries— judged the competition. They worked together in small groups and, without knowing the brand name, tasted beers in each of 145 specified style categories.

Since 2002, the most-entered category has been American-Style India Pale Ale (IPA), which saw 279 entries in 2014. This year’s gold medalist was Breakside IPA from the Breakside Brewery in Milwaukee, Oregon.

This year’s competition featured three new categories: Belgian-Style Fruit Beer, with 41 entries; Historical Beer, with 12 entries; and Kuyt Beer, which had no entries

Industry professionals—222 from 10 countries— judged the competition. They worked together in small groups and, without knowing the brand name, tasted beers in each of 145 specified style categories.